re: What was the Louisiana Drinking Age loophole until the mid-90's?

I was born in 1963. Yeah im old. But when I turned 18, you could buy it, drink it, go to bars etc. I’m not sure what year some or all of this changed.

It’s definitely led to the increase of shoplifting alcohol. Teens will pay for it, but legally cannot, so they just hid it their hoody and steal it.

In the little suburb I grew up in I'd drive to the convenience store by our house to get my dad a 6 pack of tall boys at like 13 years old. Worked out well when I started liking beer

In 1985 Louisiana raised the legal drinking age to 21. From 1985 to 1995 those 18-20 could legally purchase but not drink it - that was the loophole. So, bars would let you in and even sell it to you, it was illegal for you to consume it unless you were 21 (outside of a few exlusions)


The exclusions (to consume or posses) are basically if someone 18-20 is/was with their parent, guardian or spouse. If possessing is part of their job. Inside of a private residence or at a private function (wedding reception, etc) or part of a religious ceremony.

So legally they cannot go to the bar at a reception or sitting at a table at dinner and get a beer BUT their parent, guardian or spouse can and then give it to them BUT the establishment can always refuse service to anyone.

I'll never forget having many a meeting on this topic and how we would train staff should they be confronted with a parent or someone over the age ordering for someone not of legal age. Would we ask for a marriage certificate? Birth certificate to prove they are a parent, etc. In the end, we just adopted the policy of 21 and over. We required everyone to be over 21 to consume alcohol.

30 years old should be adulthood in 2023, IMO, across the board. Maybe carve out exemptions for property owners and married parents.

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I’m not sure what year some or all of this changed

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I remember it pretty well due to my college roommate. I was born in March '67. He was born in late November '67. I was legal at 18 and it stayed that way-some kind of grandfather deal. The date for legal purchase changed every year such that he could not buy until he was 21. The cut off was a few days before his birthday if I remember correctly.

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Believe there was a point in time where you could buy at 18 but couldn’t drink until 21? So the bars were legally ok and it put the onus on the individual?

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Some would try to put X markers on peoples hands denoting they could not drink others would put wristbands on those over 21 and but most didnt care. They would ID when you got there and do nothing to separate between those 19 or 24.

All I know is it made our highschool marine biology trip to Dauphin Island and the New Orleans aquarium alot more interesting.

Who let's a hoard of 17 and 18 year old high school students wonder Bourbon Street unattended for 7 hours???


Mrs. Phillips, that's who.

It was 18 to buy yet at many bars just tall enough to put money on the bar. In high school we would drive to rural bars or old man black bars to drink.

It helped to know a classmate working parttime in a convenience or liquor store back then.

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Further, 18 year olds whose brains are not fully developed and who lack experience should not be given free rein to access booze and drive 4,000 lb vehicles on our highways

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Then we shouldn't give them tanks and planes and send them to bomb everyone either.